The Narrative of William W. Brown, a Fugitive Slave eBook

to a blacksmith’s shop, and had a ball and chain
fastened to his leg, and then put him to driving a
yoke of oxen, and kept him at hard labor, until the
iron around his leg was so worn into the flesh, that
it was thought mortification would ensue. In addition
to this, John told me that his master whipped him
regularly three times a week for the first two months:—­and
all this to “tame him.” A more
noble looking man than he, was not to be found in all
St. Louis, before he fell into the hands of More;
and a more degraded and spirit-crushed looking being
was never seen on a southern plantation, after he had
been subjected to this “taming”
process for three months. The last time that
I saw him, he had nearly lost the entire use of his
limbs.

While living with Mr. Lovejoy, I was often sent on
errands to the office of the “Missouri Republican,”
published by Mr. Edward Charles. Once, while
returning to the office with type, I was attacked by
several large boys, sons of slave-holders, who pelted
me with snow-balls. Having the heavy form of
type in my hands, I could not make my escape by running;
so I laid down the type and gave them battle.
They gathered around me, pelting me with stones and
sticks, until they overpowered me, and would have
captured me, if I had not resorted to my heels.
Upon my retreat, they took possession of the type;
and what to do to regain it I could not devise.
Knowing Mr. Lovejoy to be a very humane man, I went
to the office, and laid the case before him.
He told me to remain in the office. He took one
of the apprentices with him, and went after the type,
and soon returned with it; but on his return informed
me that Samuel McKinney had told him that he would
whip me, because I had hurt his boy. Soon after,
McKinney was seen making his way to the office by
one of the printers, who informed me of the fact, and
I made my escape through the back door.

McKinney not being able to find me on his arrival,
left the office in a great rage, swearing that he
would whip me to death. A few days after, as
I was walking along Main Street, he seized me by the
collar, and struck me over the head five or six times
with a large cane, which caused the blood to gush
from my nose and ears in such a manner that my clothes
were completely saturated with blood. After beating
me to his satisfaction, he let me go, and I returned
to the office so weak from the loss of blood, that
Mr. Lovejoy sent me home to my master. It was
five weeks before I was able to walk again. During
this time, it was necessary to have some one to supply
my place at the office, and I lost the situation.

After my recovery, I was hired to Capt. Otis
Reynolds, as a waiter on board the steamboat Enterprize,
owned by Messrs. John and Edward Walsh, commission
merchants at St. Louis. This boat was then running
on the upper Mississippi. My employment on board
was to wait on gentlemen, and the captain being a
good man, the situation was a pleasant one to me;—­but
in passing from place to place, and seeing new faces
every day, and knowing that they could go where they
pleased, I soon became unhappy, and several times
thought of leaving the boat at some landing place,
and trying to make my escape to Canada, which I had
heard much about as a place where the slave might
live, be free, and be protected.